The seminars of the qualification program offer high-quality development of key skills as well as scientific knowledge and creates the framework for a structured and transparent path towards a PhD thesis for doctoral researchers within this IRTG. It is specifically designed to promote the interdisciplinary and international orientation of the doctoral researchers. The program is offered jointly by the three partner universities of this IRTG.

The scientific training runs continuously and consists of the IRTG specific lecture series and courses from existing graduate program. The individual lecture program for each doctoral researcher is selected by the individual, their academic advisor, and the two co-advisors.

The IRTG specific lecture series is made up from the three main lecture lines:

• Physical Modeling

• Virtual Factories

• Manufacturing Technologies

Each lecture line consist of two lectures which are taught in a yearly cycle by several of the PIs of this IRTG. This sums up to six lectures which are to be attended over the three year cycle of the IRTG. At the beginning of each of the six lectures, a special section will focus on teaching the doctoral researchers so that they achieve a comparable level of expertise in the field regardless of their background in engineering, computer science, or physics.

As a complement to the IRTG-specific scientific training, the doctoral researchers attend existing lectures which are part of the graduate programs of the University of Kaiserslautern, UC Berkeley, and UC Davis. The lectures will be selected to foster interdisciplinary research while still allowing the doctoral researchers to follow their specific research interests.